Publisher: Putnam
Publication Date: May 12th, 2015
Pages: 388
Song I Played While Reading: Queen of Peace by Florence + The Machine
Rating: 4 stars
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected beings to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Holy woah. This book was absolutely delicious. First of all, lets take a look at the cover. TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE IT. (Is it weird that I didn't notice Shahrzad being all sassy in the background? Took me a full day to notice it)
I don't even know where to start with this book. I have all of these things I want to say and they're getting crammed and knotted up and giving me a slight case of reviewers block.
Okay, okay, okay, LETS JUST GET TO THE BEST PART: the characters.
They were all perfect. Funny, mysterious, dark, sweet, strong, whimsical.. I could go on and on. Shahrzad was kick-ass and funny, but also down-to-earth and caring beyond belief. I adored her. And this is one of those rare moments when I really liked having a picture of the main character. She was gorgeous and sassy. Her expression screams, "I'll fuck you up and look amazing the entire time." She reminds me a little of Celaena Sardothien.
Khalid, Jalal, and Tariq are all bae. Seriously, I've only ever loved this many guys at once with ToG. CLEARLY THESE AUTHORS NEED TO MEET. Khalid is my sexy and mysterious man; both appealing while whipping his fancy sword around and confessing how emotionally tortured he is (Rowan). Jalal is arrogant and witty and a total shithead, but so hot that you can't be mad at him for too long (Dorian). And Tariq is fiercely loyal, willing to go to any lengths for the people he loves (Chaol). This sounds like I've thought a lot about this weird correlation between Throne of Glass and The Wrath and the Dawn but alas, no. This just smacked me in the face now.
And finally, I wanna give a special shout out to my home girl, Despina. Her and Shazi were a riot. Oh my god, I could not get over how funny they were! They constantly bickered and went back and fourth on any issue they could think of. They lived to contradict each other, and it actually worked for this story. Sometimes that can really piss me off, but it worked for these two beauty queens.
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where my bodyguard is.
"By Zeus, you are a nuisance, Shahrzad al- Khayzuran!" Despina cried.
"It's good you know that. It will save you time. Now, answer my question."
"No."
"Answer me, you wretched Theban!"
"No, you horse's ass!"
The plot was written out beautifully. There was always something going on that kept me on my toes; adventures, political intrigue, hilarious conversations, or Shahrzad kinda doing whatever the hell she wanted and getting yelled at. Though it was pretty obvious what the main cause of the issue was in this book, I still really enjoyed the way Ahdieh wove it together. It was heartbreaking and just made me want to snuggle up to Khalid and croon sweet nothings into his ear.
The writing was beautiful. It reeled you in and sunk it's claws deep. It was both simple and dreamy, making even the slower parts seem dangerous and sexy, as if a character was either going to stab someone or seduce them. Is that weird? Probably. If I think of a better way to describe that then I'll fix it later, but I'm still stuck on THE DAMN ENDING *cries*
Overall, this was a stunning debut novel and I HIGHLY recommend you get your hands on this!
Quotes
"Rahim hedged. "It sounds dangerous."
"It's worth speaking to them. The worst that can happen is a refusal."
"Actually, the worst that can happen is that they slit your throat."
"Yes." A series of vertical lines formed along the bridge of Tariq's nose. "There is that. But it was not on my agenda to insult them, in the process."
"Well, if anyone can talk their way out of a beheading, it's you."
"I thank you, Rahim. As always, your abiding confidence in me casts any possibility of doubt astray."
""What're you doing to me, you plague of a girl?" he whispered.
"If I'm a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed." The weapon still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
"No." His hands dropped to her waist. "Destroy me."
"Despina kicked off her sandals and sat cross-legged on the bed. "We woman are a sad lot, aren't we?"
"What do you mean?"
"Strong enough to take on the world with our bare hands, yet we permit ridiculous boys to make fools of us."
"I am not a fool."
No, you're not. Not yet." Despina grinned. "But it's inevitable. When you meet the one who makes you smile as you've ever smiled before, cry as you've never cried before... there is nothing to do but fall."
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